Ms Cross's Home For Adopted Stories - Little Sparks
by Flutterbycross
Summary: Little Sparks is the first story I am completing for my "Adopted Stories" series. Bite-me-i'm-irish is the original author of Little Sparks and the story Old Flame, which tells the first part of this fantastic love story. Disclaimer: Not only do I not own any piece of Pretty Little Liars, I am not the creator of this A.U.. But I have named myself its steward. So there
1. Highway of Regret

**A/N: Hi, hi! First off, Happy Mothers Day to all of the amazing women who were crazy brave enough to take on parenting. I am having a great day, because I heard back from bite-me-i'm-irish and she has given me her blessing to finish her awesome story, Little Sparks. It is the sequel to her story Old Flame, so I am telling you, you need to read that first. I am so excited because I loved both of the stories so much that I stayed up all night reading them. I also encourage everyone to review Old Flame and the first part of Little Sparks. B** **ite-me-i'm-irish is one of the most talented writers of Ezria stories on this site and she deserves to hear from other readers who agree with me. This chapter takes place the same night as Chapter 17. I hope fans of the first part of the story like the direction I take it.**

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The storms are raging  
On the rolling sea  
And on the highway of regret  
Though winds of change  
Are throwing wild and free  
You ain't seen nothing  
Like me yet

Adele – Make You Feel My Love

* * *

"Son of a bitch!" Byron punctuated his words by slamming his hand into the steering wheel, again. "That vile, lecherous, repugnant monster!" And the rant was starting over, again. I had to tune him out.

I leaned my forehead against the cold glass of the passenger side window and watched the black night slide by. Not for the first time I wondered if I should have insisted on driving. I could tell that Byron's anger had caused some sort of short-circuit in his brain. He was going round and round in circles about Ezra, Aria, the boarding school and our own failures as parents. But my head was pounding and my chest was tight against my thudding heart. My mind was swirling with images and thoughts that I had hoped were in the past. I saw Aria in hysterics and Aria freezing me out. I saw the pictures again for the first time and remembered the burning anger and numbing shock I felt looking at my baby passionately kissing her teacher. I remembered the nights that I had cried, imagining what my little girl was going through. I remembered the nagging whisper saying that we had stolen her life. I never decided if that whisper spoke with Aria's voice or my own. I wanted to get to Aria as fast as we could, but I dreaded what we would face when we got there.

"You know what we should have done, Ella." Oh fun, my line was coming up. "We should have gone straight to the police with those pictures as soon as we got them. We never should have let that creep walk around free."

"I know, Byron." I exhaled the words more than said them. If Byron were calmer he would recognize that I was placating him, and ask me what I thought of the situation. But his mind was so clouded by rage, and fear I suspected, that he just wanted me to agree with his pronouncements. If I were less upset, and less afraid, I would have forced my opinions into the diatribe. But the truth was, I didn't really know what my opinion was. Was Ezra a monster? The highlight reel in my head made me less certain than I was a year ago. I saw Ezra trying to appear only mildly interested when he asked me where Aria had gone. My mind created a time-lapse of watching as Ezra changed. He seemed to shrink into himself. By the end of the school year he almost wasn't there anymore. The passion and excitement for English and helping his students connect to the novels he taught were simply gone. At one time I had really admired the way he put so much of himself into teaching, his enthusiasm for becoming an integral part of the English department and the whole school. But then he left, months before he resigned. He became quiet, distracted, and uninterested. Everything that I recognized as Ezra Fitz disappeared. I watched him far more closely than before. At first, I was pleased that he appeared to be struggling. After the way he tore my family apart I wanted him to pay, to suffer. But witnessing that suffering, as quiet and subtle as it was, created uncomfortable questions in my mind. Why did he change so much? Why wasn't he bouncing back? He seemed to have lost his anchor mooring him to Rosewood. I couldn't say for certain that he hadn't moved on to another student, but I knew in my heart that he hadn't. I never discussed any of that with Byron. Even an allusion to Ezra would have Byron through the roof. He wouldn't even tolerate Aria's name for the first few months. So, when school started for a new year and Ezra Fitz's body had followed his spirit away from Rosewood High, I decided not to tell Byron. I knew that knowing for certain that Ezra was gone would please my husband, and I didn't really _want_ to please him.

I was just happy that the whole thing was behind us. I looked forward to rebuilding my relationship with my daughter once her affair was a distant and fading memory and I was still right there to be there for her. But God, the joke was on me. I couldn't have known that Ezra's departure sent him straight back to Aria. Did Aria send for him as soon as she got to West Virginia? But if she had, then hers and Ezra's performances of separation and grief were award caliber. But did I believe that Ezra could end up at a girls' boarding school in West Virginia with Aria by chance? It had to be impossible, right? I had been so sure that Aria was too young and naïve to understand or see her relationship for what it truly was. I was horrified thinking about the kind of criticism her relationship would cause for her. But did I ever really try to understand what the relationship meant to her? I was absolutely certain about the situation then, and Byron still was. But now I felt like I didn't really know anything about what had happened between them.

I knew that we were speeding across state lines at 2 in the morning. I knew that Aria was in the middle of a real-life nightmare, the headmistress had explained what they found when they were searching for Aria after she disappeared from her own prom. She had phoned again minutes later to say that Aria had collapsed and was being taken to the hospital. Mrs. Curran seemed to think Aria's collapse was because of the attack on her. But I knew my baby, and it sounded to me like she'd had a panic attack. And I didn't really believe she was that scared about her own safety. Seeing Ezra dragged off in hand-cuffs might have done it, though.

Byron didn't understand. He wasn't there when I pulled up to the police station with Aria more than a year ago. I could still remember her screams when I tried to take her in to give a statement about Ezra. They had been primal, petrified, like a wounded animal fighting for its very survival. I had wanted to punish Ezra Fitz for what he had done. I wanted him to disappear forever. I was physically ill thinking about the damage he might have done to my precious little girl. I needed to save her, protect her, get her life back on track. But in that moment, listening to those screams, I knew that turning him in would break her. If I was going to help Aria, then I couldn't put her through that.

Byron argued with me vehemently, even after Aria was away at school. He said we were risking other teenage girls having to go through the same thing. But I knew he was _really_ worried that Ezra and Aria would find a way to be together again. I pointed out that he had promised Aria not to turn Ezra in as long as she didn't contact him. But someone must have told him where she was. My jaw hit the floor when the headmistress told me that Ezra Fitz was Aria's former English teacher at the boarding school. It _wasn't_ possible that he had ended up there by chance, was it? Aria had been lying to us for almost a year, or maybe she had never stopped. And now here we were, driving to a hospital in West Virginia in the middle of the night. Byron had been right about the police, I supposed.

"Look, I'm going to drop you off at the hospital and go straight to the police station. I want them to know how much of a danger that bastard is." _Uh-oh, that's new_ , I thought. I turned to Byron and put my hand on his arm. He was slumped in his seat, his hands limply hanging on to the steering wheel. He'd worn himself out with his incredibly long tirade. I leaned across the armrest and kissed him gently on the cheek. I knew how much he loved Aria. But I worried that, sometimes, he might hate Ezra more.

"Byron," I began carefully, not wanting to reignite his anger. "I know that you're concerned about Ezra staying in jail. But Aria needs both of us, right now. We need to get to her and make sure that she's ok…"

Byron cut me off, "Of course she's not ok. That pig snatched her away from her prom and violated her!"

"And if that's what happened, then Aria will tell us. We need to listen to her, Byron. We can't just decide what's going to happen this time." Byron opened his mouth to argue with me again, but I moved my hand up and pushed it against his lips. "She's 18 and about to graduate. If we force anything else on her she can leave. She can cut us out of her life, disappear, and never come home again. Is that what you want?"

I removed my hand from his mouth so that he could answer. He worked his jaw and moved his lips as if I had squashed his face. So, I was pretty sure his response was not going to be a mature one. "It might be worth it, if he's in jail and can't stalk her anymore. Even if she isn't with us, I would feel like she was safer," he muttered petulantly. I threw my hands up and sighed. This drive could not be over soon enough to suit me.

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 **O.K., I will do my best to stick to a schedule of uploading a new chapter each week. And I am working on other stories, as well. Please, please review and let me know if I'm doing all right with this story. I'm trying to do it justice. B** **ite-me-i'm-irish ends chapters with threats and I am totally on board with that approach. Review or I will let Alison decide on a new nickname for you.**


	2. There Ain't No One

**A/N: I can't think of anything to write for this Author's Note. Please pretend I wrote something pithy, and I will make it up to you in the chapter. Thank you.**

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No one  
Can get in the way of what I feel for you, you, you  
Can get in the way of what I feel  
I know some people search the world  
To find something like what we have  
I know people will try try to divide something so real  
So till the end of time I'm telling you there ain't no one

Alicia Keys – No One

I stared blearily at the two-way mirror in front of me. What I saw barely resembled the handsome, debonair lover I had imagined I was hours before with Aria. I was a complete wreck. My shirt was hanging loose and was only partly buttoned. The police hadn't given me time to tuck it in before they dragged me away from Aria, and I couldn't figure out how to manage it now, with my hands still in handcuffs in front of me. My jacket was rumpled and one of the sleeves was pulling free at the shoulder. The officers had been less-than gentle with me. Given what they thought I did, I couldn't really blame them. My bow tie was just gone. I had no idea if it was in the squad car or back in the woods.

But if my clothes were in a sorry state, my face was on its knees pleading. My hair was wild and sticking out at weird angles. I had a belated five o'clock shadow which enhanced the surliness of my scowl. My eyes were red, and one was black and blue. My nose had swollen up and the cut on its bridge was brown with dried blood. It was just fantastic. Not only did they think I had kidnapped and assaulted Aria, it looked like she had tried to fight back. I was screwed, and not in the way I had planned.

Looking above the door at the silently spinning clock, I had to blink several times before the numbers agreed to come into focus. It was 5:30 in the morning. Where was Aria? Was she all right? Were her parents with her yet? I was sitting in an interrogation room at a tiny police station in the middle of nowhere. But I was also in the dark woods, mind reeling, panicked and numb at the same moment. All I could see was Aria, the harsh beams of flashlights gruesomely highlighting the look of utter horror on her perfect delicate face. I hadn't comforted her, I hadn't offered a single word of reassurance. It had been as if I was watching a movie play out in front of my eyes and I was powerless to affect the action in any way. I had walked through the trees in an almost comedic zombie fashion until Aria's scream tore the night and my heart in two. The scream was still echoing in my mind. I hadn't taken her, I hadn't hurt her, but I was to blame for that scream.

I dropped my face into my hands and instantly regretted it as my nose started throbbing again. In spite of the pain I began to feel myself drifting. I was exhausted, and I felt as though my body and mind had been put through the ringer, squeezing out every ounce of energy and leaving me flat and lifeless. I suddenly heard footsteps in the hallway and I sprang up like a Jack-in-the-box. My eyes locked onto the door handle and I steeled myself as I saw it turn. The police had tried to ask me questions when I first arrived, and I had answered them with a single sentence, "I want my lawyer." Nope, I was not making friends here. But I knew that I had one on his way.

"No, I want us on the docket this morning. I'm not going to let my client rot in here so that people can dispute their parking tickets." Hardy swung the door into the room aggressively. I let out a breath that I hadn't even realized I was holding. Hardy turned his attention to me and stopped dead. He spun and caught the door before it could swing shut. Calling out to the hallway Hardy said with authority and anger, "Seriously, Guys! You've left him in cuffs for what, five hours? Someone get in here and fix this!" Hardy held the door open and a uniformed officer walked into the room. I could tell he was trying to appear relaxed, like he wasn't intimidated by Hardy at all, but he got the cuffs off my wrists in a flash. I then watched as he left the room, ducking his head in a submissive gesture, not meeting Hardy's glare.

I rubbed reflexively at my wrists. They felt bruised and they stung where the metal had cut into the skin. Hardy slammed the door and nearly threw his briefcase to the floor. He sat down across from me, his expression a mix of concern and wrath. "Did those idiots do that to your face?" he asked. It reminded me of college. Hardy could always laugh off any insult, any slight. He would turn the other guy's words right around and leave him slack-jawed and unsure what had happened. But if Hardy saw someone go after one of his friends, he didn't hesitate to throw punches first, witty retorts second. I shook my head, wearily.

"No, Aria did this," I said, gesturing to my face's impression of a below-average prize fighter. Hardy's eyes widened in shock and possibly worry. "She didn't do it on purpose," I hastily reassured him. "I startled her, and she reacted. That's all." Hardy relaxed, but not much. He started laughing softly.

"I always knew that little pixie would pack a mighty punch. I just wasn't thinking of it quite as literally as this." Hardy shook his head, but he was smiling. I was glad that he'd gotten to know Aria a little better in New York. He didn't just like that she made me so happy. He liked Aria because she was Aria. That was one of the reasons I had called him. He'd been practicing law for a little under a year and only in New York. I knew that I could have my parents find me someone local with a lot more experience. But Hardy knew me almost as well as Aria did. And he knew everything that Aria and I had been through to be together. He was rooting for us and I knew that he would protect Aria while defending me. The thought that my lawyer might try to turn the narrative against Aria made me sick. I could never let that happen.

"So, are you even able to represent me? Is your license valid in West Virginia?" I needed reassurance that there wouldn't be any roadblocks to Hardy being my attorney.

"Absolutely. I checked, and New York and West Virginia have a thing called reciprocity. It's a good thing Aria's parents didn't ship her off to California. You'd be shit-outta-luck." I appreciated that Hardy was doing his best to lighten the oppressive mood in the room. I was also quite grateful that he wasn't saying "I told you so." His advice about diplomas and orange jumpsuits loomed large in my mind. He continued sarcastically, "And if I can get away with driving over 100 miles per hour all the way from New York, then I am sure I can make this little kidnapping charge disappear." Hardy's face turned serious and he leaned toward me across the table. "I need to know exactly what happened last night. I assume Aria isn't on-board with this whole locking you up thing…"

"Of course not," I sighed and tried to put the events of the last 12 hours in order and keep it concise. The writer in me made that harder. "Aria's prom was last night, and I wanted to be at least a small part of the memories that she would make. I decided to surprise her, so I drove down and set-up an area near her prom where we could be together, just for a little while. I knew that the prom was scheduled to go until 1, so I sent Aria an anonymous text telling her to go into the woods, alone, at midnight."

Hardy held up a hand to stop my story. "Hang on, didn't you tell me that Aria had an anonymous cyber-stalker at one point? A stalker that they never caught? What the hell were you thinking!?"

Glad that the handcuffs were finally gone, I grabbed my head and vigorously shook my hands through my hair, trying to rid myself of my own stupidity. "I thought it would be romantic, mysterious! I assumed Aria would know it was me and get her friends to cover for her absence. They've covered for her in the past so that we could have time together when I was still teaching at the school. It never occurred to me that she would sneak away without telling _anyone_ where she was going." God, this really was all my fault. We were so close, Aria was weeks from graduating, she was coming to join me in New York. Now with one stupid grand gesture I had put all of that, all that we had fought for, in jeopardy. I looked up at Hardy, realizing that we'd both gone quiet. He looked back at me, his fingers meeting in a steeple against his lips.

"So, Aria's friends could be called to testify that you had a romantic relationship with her when you were her teacher… when she was still 17." Hardy said it so quietly that I wouldn't have heard him if there had been any other sound in the room. I nodded but said nothing. "Is there anyone else that knows that you and Aria were involved before you moved back to New York?" I nodded again, feeling like the small child with crumbs all over his face when his parents ask if he knows what happened to the cookies. Hardy sat back in his chair and inhaled loudly, readying himself before asking, "Who?"

I pursed my lips and ridiculously searched my mind for a way to stop this being the answer. "Jackie," I finally admitted. Hardy stood up suddenly, causing his chair to scrape loudly across the concrete floor. He mopped his face with one hand and began pacing.

"Oh, good! At least it isn't someone with any kind of grudge against you and Aria. You can't think of any reason Jackie would want to damage your relationship with your one true love, right?" I knew that his sarcasm was not an attempt to lighten the mood, this time. Hardy grabbed his chair and shoved it back under the table. He kept hold of its back and pushed down like he was trying to imbed it into the concrete. "Ok," he said, nodding determinedly. "So, we need to make sure we don't give the prosecutor reasons to dig into your relationship. Right now, the charges are focused on last night. Aria's 18 and no longer your student, praise God! If she backs up your version of events and refuses to speak against you, then all they'll have you for is bad judgement. You are incredibly lucky that that isn't a crime, Ezra." Hardy jabbed his pointer finger within a few inches of my face. "Because if it was, I would be lucky to have you out in under 30 years." Hardy spun around and started to walk off the tension that I could see was making his entire body rigid. I really didn't want to make him any angrier, but I needed his help.

"Hardy? Does that reciprocity thing apply to New York and Pennsylvania, too?"

Hardy was pinching the bridge of his nose and had his eyes closed. When I finished my question he melodramatically lowered his hand and met my stare. "Whhhyyy?" He dragged the word out exaggeratedly.

"Because Aria's parents have proof that Aria and I had a romantic relationship when I was still her teacher in Rosewood. They told her that if she ever saw me again they would turn that evidence over to the Rosewood police. So, I'm betting I'll be facing charges there too." Hardy walked over to the wall, put his face up against it, and began slowly and softly banging his head repeatedly. Yeah, that was kind of the response I expected.

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 **The royal wedding was yesterday and Patrick Adams and his incredible wife, Troian Bellisario, were in attendance. I wish PLL could have had Hardy be a recurring role. He was more important in his one appearance than Dean, Jonny, Clark, and Talia put together. Spardy stories are so much fun. This chapter was so much fun to write. If it was fun to read, then review. If you don't, I will send Dean, Jonny, Clark, and Talia to your house to bore you, waste your time, and vanish without having any impact on your life. Blessings to all!**


	3. Love Takes Every Breath

**A/N: Hey! So, I am throwing a little bit of medical jargon at you guys as the chapter begins. A lot of you will know what it means, a lot of you won't care, for those remaining people that don't know the terms and would like to, I'll save you the Google. A CT scan combines x-rays from multiple angles with computer imaging to provide doctors with cross sections of the patient's body. Basically, if you were a loaf of bread, the CT scan takes pictures that slice you and let the doctors see all the way through. They are used to look for broken bones and blood clots. Tachycardia means the patient's heart is beating faster than it should be based on the patient's activity level. We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.**

Chapter 20

Cause love only comes  
Once in a while  
And knocks on your door  
And throws you a smile  
And takes every breath,  
Leaves every scar,  
Speaks to your soul  
And sings through your heart

Lady Antebellum – If I Knew Then

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"…CT scans and chest X-Rays came back clear. When she was brought in she was experiencing tachycardia and her blood pressure was dangerously elevated. She was unable to calm herself down, so we gave her a mild sedative. When she wakes up, please try not to agitate her. She's been through a lot tonight. We should be able to release her in a few more hours." The calm voice was quiet and soothing. My brain was slowly waking up and I attempted to clear away the fog that separated me from everything else. It seemed too much effort to open my eyes, though.

"Thank-you, Doctor," my mother responded in hushed tones. _That's good_ , I thought hazily. _I'm glad my mom's here with me._ "Yes, thank-you, Doctor," the deeper timbre of my father's voice resonated throughout my body and my eyes flew open. _No, no, no, no, no, they can't be here!_ I thought, wildly. _They'll never let me help Ezra._ I heard the beeping of the heart monitor accelerate and I forced myself to breathe deeply and slowly. _You also can't help Ezra if they have to keep you sedated,_ I scolded myself. My mom reacted to the fluctuating noise from the monitor and looked over at me. She smiled at me softly, as you would at a small child, and reached for my hand.

"Hey, Baby. How are you feeling?" My mom's voice was exactly the same as it had always been, warm and loving. I heard echoes from throughout my childhood of her saying that exact phrase whenever I was sick. Tears stung the backs of my eyes and I desperately wanted to throw my arms around her and have her tell me that I was safe and everything would be fine. But I knew, devastated though it made me, that my parents were the enemy. I believed that they cared about my well-being, my mom anyway, but they were not my allies. They would gleefully help prosecute Ezra, whereas I would fight for his defense mind, body, and soul. My parents had made it crystal clear that there would never be a middle ground.

Battling my mom and dad would most likely end up being my only option, but I wanted to try a different tack first. I smiled up at my mom as graciously as I could. "I feel better, now. I'm sorry for dragging you guys all the way out here. But thank you for coming to be with me."

"Aww, Honey. There's nowhere else your dad and I would be when you need us." My mom reached up and brushed my cheek, I hoped I could work with that. Turning my head to find my dad, I saw him staring at me, eyes narrowed with suspicion. I looked back to my mom and did my best to "not see" my dad. I had a better shot with her anyway.

"Mom?" I grabbed her hand in both of mine and brought it close to my chest. "They have it all wrong about last night. I left the prom on my own, I didn't think anyone would notice. It was my fault, not Ezra's." My dad snorted, derisively. He started pacing around the room slowly, reminding me of a caged animal.

"Byron" my mom said, warningly. She gently pulled her hand from mine and began straightening my sheets. "And why was Ezra there at all?" Her voice was measured, not accusatory. I weighed my options; lie, avoid answering, or tell her the truth. Maybe I could make her understand. I had to try.

"Ezra is living in New York, now. But he drove down last night because I really wanted him at my prom." I figured the more responsibility I took for the disastrous night; the better off Ezra would be. "Please, Mom. We really do love each other." Tears started sliding down my cheeks. This wasn't manipulation on my part, I really couldn't help it. I _needed_ my mom to hear me, at last.

My dad rushed over to my bed. "New York? As in our family vacation in New York?" his voice getting louder as if someone were holding the up-volume button on a tv remote. "Were you with that bastard after we left!?" I shrank away from his crazed expression. For the first time in my life, I was physically afraid of my father. My mom wasn't, though. She grabbed his arm and pulled him away from me like a naughty grade-schooler.

"Byron? Go sit in the waiting area," my mom said in her scolding teacher/mom voice and lightly shoved him toward the door. He looked like he was about to protest but the look on my mother's face brooked no argument. My dad roughly pushed open the door and huffed his way out. My mom called after him, "And Byron? I'm coming soon, and you'd better still be there." I stared at her wide-eyed. I knew that my mom could and would stand-up to my dad, but I had never seen her bulldoze him like that. Was I a complete idiot for thinking that she might be coming around?

"Mom?" I timidly tried to get her attention. She turned back to me, and the look on her face was a mixture of frustration and fatigue. I felt guilty, I had caused my parents a lot of pain. Obviously not as much as they had caused me, but I was tired of hating them, of pushing them away. "Please don't make them keep Ezra locked up. He didn't hurt me, he hasn't ever hurt me, I swear." My mom laughed bitterly.

"We don't have any way of keeping him locked up here, Aria. I'm assuming the police will be by soon to take your statement. If you say he's innocent, and you don't press charges, I doubt they'll keep him at all. You're 18, so as far as last night goes, your father and I can't press charges for you." I stared at her as if she'd grown a second and third head. Could it really be that simple? Did I really get a say? After feeling like I had no vote in my own life for so long, it seemed too good to be true. That's when her actual words hit me.

"What about what happened before last night? What about what happened back home?" I mentally crossed everything and hoped against hope they were letting that go as well. My mom sighed heavily and shook her head.

"I don't know, Aria. Your dad was incredibly clear with you. Knowing that you have been lying to us about seeing _him_ , after everything we tried to do, I just don't know. But I promise you this," she gently grabbed my chin and stared directly into my eyes. "We will only turn him in if we believe it's what's best for you. We won't do it out of anger, or retaliation. And we will tell you our decision before we do anything." She let go of my face and took a deep shuddering breath. I thought about arguing that they didn't get to decide what was best for me anymore. I thought about threatening to never speak to them again if they hurt Ezra. I even thought about convincing Ezra we should just make a run for it and deny my dad the satisfaction of beating us. But I knew that my mom must have worked incredibly hard to come around as much as she had. She basically promised to not blindside me again. I gave her a small nod to show that I had listened and understood.

"Ok," my mom said in a rush of breath. "The doctor said they would release you in a few hours, and I really do think that the police will be coming by. Would you like us to go to your dorm and get some things for you? I can't imagine you want to try to get back into that." She gestured to my prom dress, which was hanging on a hook on the back of the room's bathroom door. "It's beautiful, by the way. It's very you," my mom smiled at me, trying to put us back on easier footing.

"Thanks, Mom. Amy, Rose and I took a ton of pictures. I'll show them to you if you want," I said as a peace offering. She nodded her head appreciatively and gave me a small smile. I listed off some clothes and toiletries that I wanted from my room at school. I wanted to get the previous night's make-up off my face and make myself presentable for the police. I knew my next task was to show them that I was a put-together adult that they should listen to, instead of the basket-case that some of them had witnessed in the woods. As I finished my requests, inspiration struck. "And, Mom? I have a leather-bound journal on my desk that I'd really like to have. It's a book of poems that Ezra wrote for me. I would feel better having it close." It was a risk to mention Ezra's name again. But this was a chance to show her what he meant to me and what I meant to him. I needed her to see that our connection was deep and real. If she could see it, she wouldn't let my dad ruin it. My dad would never forgive me, but as long as I had Ezra, I couldn't have cared less.

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 **I know this chapter is on the shorter side, so I will try to have the next one up by midweek. I know I wrote Ella dragged Byron be the arm, it was more realistic, but I always imagine her grabbing him by his ear. I'm not a fan of Byron, do those actually exist? The next chapter will be from Ella's perspective. Will Ella finally wrest control away from Bonkers Byron? Or will he reassert dominance by pounding on his chest and throwing feces at passersby? Review this chapter or I'll let Wren perform your next medical procedure. He finished less than a year of med school before he was being assigned patients, think about that.**


	4. Only Human

**A/N: Bibbidi bobbidi boo, another chapter for you.**

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Chapter 21

So many nights I longed to hold you  
So many times I looked and saw your face  
Nothing could change the way I feel  
No one else could ever take your place

Human League – Human

We headed to Aria's school and this time I insisted on driving. I didn't quite trust the car to get to the school if Byron was at the wheel. I hated to doubt him, but his behavior at the hospital convinced me that "rational Byron" was not at home right then. It was the same reason that I buried the pictures of Aria and Ezra deep inside my bag. I also planned to keep control of the car keys from here on out. I promised Aria that we would talk to her before going to the police and I wouldn't let Byron break it.

"You completely undermined me back there. We will never have Aria's respect if she knows she can play us against each other. You made me the bad guy," Byron stewed. I looked over at him. He was hunched over and had his arms crossed tightly across his body. His chin pressed firmly against his chest and his lower lip protruded in an angry pout. _Ah yes, ladies and gentlemen, I present my husband, the toddler._ When we found out about Aria's indiscretion we were both furious. Byron's rage felt justified and we both chose to take swift action before any more harm came to our daughter.

But more and more I knew that Byron was running the show solo. My job became supporting his decisions, even when I disagreed. I tried to diffuse his anger and resentment in hopes of keeping our family together. I realized that until today I hadn't advocated for Aria at all. I let Byron run roughshod over all of us. I encouraged and then tolerated his portrayal of Ezra as an evil demon responsible for every negative thing in our lives. Somewhere along the way Byron's concern for our daughter had twisted into a desire to control everything and everyone. And I let it go unchallenged, too focused on maintaining peace from moment to moment to face the reality of how our family was pulling apart. I couldn't remember the last time that Mike and I sat and really talked. How did he feel? What was happening in his life beyond basketball and lacrosse? Did he and Aria ever talk? Mike was the kid still living with us and I felt as separated from him as I did from Aria. Dear Lord, what had I done?

I gripped the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white. I stared down the road as the morning sun crested the trees and shone directly into my face. I didn't look away, I wasn't going to do that anymore. And I wasn't going to coddle the man beside me in hopes of staving off another temper tantrum.

"I didn't make you the bad guy, Byron. You did," I stated unequivocally. Byron turned his head and scoffed at me, as if what I said made no sense. "You practically attacked her. You launched yourself at her and yelled in her face. Could you not see the way she was cowering away from you? Did you not recognize how afraid she was? Not afraid of consequences, but of you, Byron. In that moment Aria was afraid of _you._ " I took a deep calming breath and let my words sink in. At least, I hoped they were sinking in. Byron didn't respond so I glanced over at him to gauge his reaction. He wasn't turning red and he wasn't clenching his jaw, both good signs. He slowly shook his head as if he had asked a question and didn't like the answer.

"I wasn't trying to scare her," Byron mumbled guiltily. He stared down into his open hands. "I thought we saved her, Ella. We moved Heaven and Earth to protect her, to stop that scumbag from destroying her life, her future. Now I find out that not only is he back in her life, he never really left. She lied to us over and over to be with him. They were probably laughing at us behind our backs. We have to get him away from her, when did you stop wanting to fight for her?" He looked at me and even in my periphery I could see the stricken look in his eyes. His voice sounded so defeated, almost mournful. I softened my expression and reached my hand across, offering it to him to take or not. He grabbed my hand tentatively and held it between his larger ones. He was gentle, something I thought he'd forgotten how to be, maybe he had for a while.

"Byron," I said softly but firmly. "I will never stop fighting for our kids, but all we're doing is fighting against Aria. We aren't fighting the same battle anymore. We thought erasing Ezra from Aria's life was the only choice we had. There were so many horrible things that we knew might happen. Aria could drop out of school. She could give up all of her dreams and plans for him. He could abandon her and destroy her trust in love. They could be found out and Aria would lose her place in Rosewood and be ostracized." Byron began nodding while I spoke.

"Exactly, Ella," Byron began, but I cut him off immediately.

"But Ezra found his way back to Aria. I don't know if he managed to manipulate the situation, or if God decided to throw us all into an emotional salad spinner. But the horrible things we were so afraid of didn't happen. Aria stayed in school and is set to graduate at the top of her class. She got accepted to NYU, her dream school. And she and Ezra are still together, after nearly two years. If Ezra meant her harm, he could have convinced her to run away with him. He could have gotten her pregnant so she felt forced to be with him. I think he actually cares for Aria. Their relationship was wrong, horribly so. But our fighting it hasn't stopped it. I feel like all we managed to do was stop _our_ relationships with her. I miss Aria, Byron. I don't even know her anymore, and I'm done with blaming Ezra for that. I'm done fighting against them, can't we just be done?" I couldn't believe I said all of that. I couldn't believe Byron had let me get through all of it without interrupting. Maybe there was a chance I convinced him. I prayed I had.

"I hear you, Ella. I promise that this time I really heard you. But how can I ever be ok with this? With _him_? How do we know how he really feels about Aria? Maybe you can see inside his head, but I can't. I don't know how I could ever look at him and not see a predator. I still believe he took advantage of Aria. So how can I "be done" being against this?" Byron maintained his calm the entire time he spoke. He didn't even use his thesaurus-like mind to come up with another nasty name to call Ezra. This was the most we had ever talked about our daughter's romance. Huh, I never thought of it as a "romance" before. Being honest, using that word still made me a bit queasy, but I thought I might be able to get used to it.

"Let's focus on accepting that Ezra exists, first. Aria can't demand more of us than that, at least not right away," I assured Byron. He took my hand, that he had held the entire time, and brought it to his lips. I hadn't felt this connected to him in over a year. I felt like I could breathe for the first time in forever. We drove in contemplative silence for the next few minutes until we arrived at Aria's school. The headmistress knew that we were coming.

I pulled into a parking spot and turned the engine off. A small part of me was afraid to break our quiet and risk the newly established peace, but I shook my head and decided to keep it short. "Are you ready?" I whispered. Byron pursed his lips and looked at me like I was a million miles away from him.

"Would it be all right if I let you handle it? I want to just take a walk around the grounds, be alone for a little while." I didn't mind at all. I was thrilled that Byron actually asked me rather than just storming off. I was starting to recognize my husband of 20 years, it was overwhelming.

* * *

"Mrs. Montgomery, welcome. I'm sorry that we have to meet again under such awful circumstances." Mrs. Curran extended her hand as she greeted me. She seemed anxious, as well she might. She had managed to lose my daughter at her prom, and as far as she knew she allowed Aria to be kidnapped from said prom. I decided to leave her in the dark for the time being. I didn't know what kind of repercussions Aria would face once the school knew that she had purposefully slipped away. I wrapped my lavender sweater tighter around myself and shook Mrs. Curran's hand with my free one.

"Aria is going to be released from the hospital later this morning. She asked me to bring her some things. Could you please let me into her dorm?" I kept my voice pleasant, but I didn't put any real warmth in it. I wasn't happy with the way any of this situation was handled and I needed to keep the school on the defensive long enough to figure out how to best protect Aria.

"Absolutely, Mrs. Montgomery. Please follow me." The headmistress led me out of the office and took me to Aria's dorm building. I recognized nothing, a sharp pain gripped my stomach as I acknowledged to myself that this was the first time I had made it past the office. When Aria froze me out she made the school into her ice palace. I was never going to get that time with her back. I barely knew anything about her life here, not even where she slept. Tears built behind my eyes, but I pushed them back when I realized that Mrs. Curran was talking to me. "Again, Mrs. Montgomery, we cannot express how sorry we are for what happened to Aria. A student approached me a little before midnight and told me that they thought they had seen Mr. Fitz around the tables where the students were leaving their wraps and purses and such. The student was not certain, however, and as no one else reported seeing him and a brief canvass of the prom showed he was no longer there, we allowed the matter to drop. Mr. Fitz left the school at the end of fall semester and we had no expectation of seeing him again. Shortly after midnight I was approached by Amy Day, one of Aria's two roommates and best friends. She was upset and said that none of her friends could find Aria, and while her cellphone was missing, her purse was still on the table where her group had been sitting and her date was present and accounted for. I didn't immediately connect the two incidents, but I did call the authorities after a thorough search of the prom and the immediate surrounding vicinity did not locate Aria." Mrs. Curran cut off as we arrived at Aria's room. It was clear that Mrs. Curran didn't want to keep telling the story, at least not in a dormitory hallway, but I put my back against the door and motioned for her to continue. I wanted to get back to Aria, but every bit of information that I had about how the night's events were perceived could help. _Help who?_ a quiet voice asked me.

The headmistress cleared her throat and looked up and down the corridor uncomfortably as she continued her play-by-play of the previous night. "Once the police arrived, the students were gathered and sent back to school on the bus that had transported them to the dance. Aria's friends begged to remain but were refused. We couldn't know how long the search would take, nor the circumstances we might discover. I wanted to ensure we protected Aria's privacy and got the students back to a more controlled location." I was impressed with how Mrs. Curran presented everything in a way that proved she had been the epitome of a calm, responsible, and concerned school administrator. Heck, it might even be the way it actually happened. "The actual search didn't take long. Strangely, Mr. Fitz had not taken her that far away. Of course, I wouldn't want to even speculate on his twisted thinking. He was arrested immediately and when poor Aria was overcome by the trauma she'd suffered, we got her to the hospital as quickly as possible. Please know, Mrs. Montgomery, that there was absolutely no sign of warning. Mr. Fitz maintained a stellar record while he taught here. There was never even a whisper about him having an inappropriate interest in any of our girls." That was honestly a comfort to me. Not because I believed they'd kept their distance while Ezra taught there, but it made me feel less guilty about being oblivious back home. Maybe the pair really were that good at sneaking around.

I suddenly lost all patience for the woman in front of me. Her speech had been self-serving and ridiculously long. And the way she spoke was affected and grating. I couldn't wait to be done with her, I just needed one more answer first. "Mrs. Curran, what do the other students know at this point?"

"They know that Aria was found and sent to the hospital. We told them that she is fine, and that they are _not_ , under any circumstances, to question her. Whether or not Aria wishes to tell her classmates what happened is completely up to her." I moved away from the door and Mrs. Curran hurriedly unlocked it for me. "Ms. Milson and Ms. Day have been asked to remain in the common room until you've left. If you'd like to speak to them it's just down that hall."

"Thank-you, Mrs. Curran. I appreciate you helping Aria to feel safe during the remainder of her time here," I said with true gratitude. I was being too hard on her, taking out my frustrations on someone just doing their job. I believed she was trying to act in Aria's best interest. I just couldn't stand the thought of Aria becoming a center ring attraction again. I wanted her to graduate in peace. I turned around and faced Aria's door and found my hand was trembling as I reached for the doorknob. Was I afraid to go in? _Well,_ I thought, _here goes nothing._

* * *

 **So this chapter feeds directly into the next one. They're separate because of length, but also because I didn't want to shove too many story points into one chapter. The next chapter is different in tone and contains a critical turn in the story. I will try to have it up by Sunday night. Oh, I almost forgot to include an empty threat. It doesn't seem to be making a difference, but if I can't be entertained reading bunches of reviews, I will entertain myself concocting silly repercussions for no reason. SO, review or you will find a dog just in time to make a grisly discovery, and then the dog will disappear and no one will ever mention it again. Blessings to all**


	5. The Bigger Picture

**A/N: It's Sunday, and I promised, so here you go. I'm a lot more chatty after you read the chapter.**

Chapter 22

Long before the colors start to bleed  
I can see the painting come alive  
Clever like an angel in disguise  
Moving in and out of reach  
If the candle lights this crooked path  
Like a lighthouse peering through the haze  
I will find the river through the rain  
And I'll reach the water's edge  
Shed your light on me  
Be my eyes when I can't see  
Shed your light on me  
Be my guide so I can see  
The bigger picture

Dream Theater – The Bigger Picture

The room was fairly clean, considering that it was the only private space that 3 teenaged girls possessed. Maybe Amy and Rose had picked up in anticipation of Byron's and my arrival. Aria never left a messy room at home, but being the morning after a big event, I expected a lot more make-up, accessories, and hair supplies to be strewn everywhere. The heavy curtains at the windows were open and a good amount of daylight brightened the space. The walls were a plain white, but the girls had done their best to cover them with colorful things and photographs, making the room more homey and less institutional.

For a moment when I entered the room I was afraid that I wouldn't know which section was Aria's. How much had she changed? Would I still recognize her unique style? I smiled when I looked around. My eyes went right to the part of the room that fairly well screamed Aria. The fact that one of her paintings was hanging over her bed was also a dead give-away. Much like her wardrobe, Aria used combinations of colors and textures in her paintings that few would attempt. She always told me that I was the only real artist in the family, but the way Aria translated her emotions and unique view of the world into her work was special. The genuineness of her pieces was far more important than her technique, in my opinion. The paintings she had done after Alison disappeared were incredible. They were dark and conveyed both fear and sadness. I often cried when she would show me a newly completed picture. But all of the paintings had a trace of light in them. There was an ethereal quality of hope in every single one. Aria insisted that we box all of the paintings and stow them in the attic. I felt so close to my daughter, knowing that these were images that she wanted to keep private, to hide from the world, but she shared them with me. God, how I missed that.

Threatened with even more tears, I set my mind to the task at hand. I went to the bureau and opened the drawers to find what Aria had asked for. I pulled out a simple lingerie set of gray satin with black piping. I tried not to look too hard at all the sets that were bolder, lacier, sexier. I was not ready to think about Aria having underthings that were designed to be displayed, not hidden. I went to the closet and pulled out the pale pink skinny jeans she requested. Her clothes were organized in a way that only made sense to Aria, and to the people who understood how her mind worked. I didn't have any trouble locating anything. That was promising, right? She wanted her short-sleeved black top with a white peter pan collar and a white ¾ sleeve blazer. It was a toned-down outfit, not counting the skull print on the blazer. I suspected she requested clothes that would seem "adult" to the police. I took the pink belt and silver leather combat boots. I smiled, even "adult Aria" would never be boring. I loved her.

My eyes drifted back to the painting. Could it help me understand who she was, now? I shook my head and went into the bathroom and grabbed her brush, some hair ties and pins, and her face cloths. I found her make-up in her small cosmetics bag in her much larger purse and decided to bring the purse even though it wasn't technically on her list. I found a small duffel bag at the top of her closet. I was grateful that Aria took after me and was short. She didn't have anything stowed out of my reach, a rare occurrence for me. I packed-up the stuff and looked around the room making sure I had it all. Aria only had a few photos on her wall, of the Rosewood girls and her friends here. There were a couple of her with Mike. Byron and I were conspicuously and painfully absent. There weren't any of Ezra, either. She lived in so much fear of discovery that she didn't display a single image of her boyfriend. Hey, thinking that word didn't make me flinch or anything. Was that encouraging or troubling? Would I ever really figure it out?

I looked at the painting yet again. I stared at it like it hid the answers to the questions trapped in my mind. It was subdued, calm. There were no harsh or striking lines. It was colorful, but it didn't have any of the wild colors that would have indicated great excitement or despair. It was undoubtedly Aria, but a quiet Aria. It wasn't the lively vibrant Aria that I missed so dearly. I had no way of knowing if she was ever that Aria, anymore. When did she paint this? I could believe this was a painting conveying contentment or resignation. Did she paint it before or after Ezra ended up here? I knew that Aria used to put the date she completed a piece on the back of the canvas. Did she still? I walked over and leaned over the bed to take the picture down to check the back. I set the painting down, instantly forgotten, when I saw what was behind it on the wall.

It was Aria, _my Aria_. Photo upon photo of my bright, shiny daughter. I stood in near reverence looking at my vibrant, effervescent girl. Even in photograph form I could see her smile sparkling, her eyes twinkling. There were pictures of her with Rose, the same ones she sent to me after Spring Break, but mostly the images were of Aria and Ezra. Aria and Ezra stood in front of New York landmarks. Aria and Ezra made goofy faces in selfies. Aria and Ezra were gussied up and standing in a group with other young adults in party clothes. I assumed they must be Ezra's friends. He introduced Aria to his friends, shared his world with her. Aria in a beautiful wine-colored dress stood with Ezra in a tuxedo alongside an older couple also in formal attire. I looked more closely at the woman and recognized Professor Fitz from the New Year's gala. I shook my head and laughed ruefully. Clearly, she _was_ Ezra's mother. Even his family actively worked to shelter their relationship. Had Ezra been honest with them about how the relationship started? Another picture was of Aria and Ezra holding each other and gazing into each other's eyes. In the background, a blurry bride and groom danced. Ezra took Aria to a wedding, a _family_ member's wedding based on his mother's presence. Aria wasn't Ezra's dirty little secret. She wasn't separate from his real life. She was Ezra's acknowledged girlfriend. And introducing Aria to his family indicated that he was serious about having some kind of future with her. I didn't even need to know that, though. All I needed was to see Ezra's face when he looked at Aria. The dictionary could use his face to define adoration. And Aria's expression was scarcely less devoted. They weren't gazes of lust, or preoccupation. Their faces held love; confident, reciprocated love. The tears I had fought back now flowed freely down my cheeks. I was no longer conflicted, I knew where I stood, now. I knew that I understood, now. How was I ever going to make it up to Aria?

I used my phone to take a picture of the collage. I didn't want to damage it by taking any photos with me. I rehung the painting, no longer caring when exactly Aria painted it. I grabbed Aria's purse and the duffel and turned to leave. Byron was probably back at the car wondering what was taking me so long. My eyes swept across the room one last time. On the desk was a leather book. _Crap! I almost forgot!_ I grabbed it and hurried out. I flipped through some of the pages. Obviously, Aria wanted me to read this. The ploy really hadn't been subtle. I lightly read some of the poems while I walked directly to the parking lot. Ezra was talented and the poems I read confirmed for me what I saw in the photos. I looked out at the lot and Byron was, indeed, leaning against the car. I flipped to the page that had a thin leather cord marking it. I paused and read it more carefully. Byron looked up and saw me. He waved with a questioning look on his face. I closed the journal and walked quickly the rest of the way to our car. I walked right up to Byron and leaned against him. I tilted my face up and kissed him firmly on the lips. He blinked at me uncertainly as I stepped back, and a tentative smile played across his lips.

"What was that for?" he asked me, but it sounded more like _Did you actually mean to do that?_ I smirked and shrugged my shoulders. I opened the back door and stowed the two bags and my purse, grabbing the keys and keeping the journal with me. I got behind the wheel and looked expectantly up at Byron.

"Honey? We really should get back to Aria," I said lightheartedly. Byron's eyes widened and he dumbly nodded and walked around to the passenger side and got in. He looked over at me like he had never seen me before. My good mood had caught him completely off-guard. _Good. Now, while he's still off-balance…_ I smiled at him and handed him the book, opened to the marked page.

"What's this?" Byron sounded almost afraid, like it might be a spell book or something. Well, maybe it was a bit; a book of love spells. I smiled at him triumphantly.

"It's the inside of Ezra Fitz's head."

Wells of amber jade

Tumble into forever

Porcelain doll

Hidden titanium

Lightning electricity

Lethal frostbite

Maze of words

An angel weeps

Home in black and white

It Happened One Night

Violent storms of judgement

We live in the eye

Dreams of eternity

Whispers of Happiness

My heart with you

Always

 **Yeah, so, that poem was one of the first things I wrote for this story. It was a long time before I could work it in and I got very impatient. I tried to keep to the style of B-26 and I found that poem completely inscrutable. I had to look up what the poem meant online. I think mine is far less opaque, but if anyone wants a rundown, let me know and I'll post it at the beginning of the next chapter. I love this chapter because I got to use breadcrumbs that the O.A. left for us. Read, review, or Mona will send the stylists from Camp Mona to ruin your hair, forever. Blessings to all**


	6. The Sunshine of My Love

**A/N: Hi, I'm a couple days late, sorry. On the bright side, I have been slaving away on my next adopted story and an original of my own. I'm also trying to get the next installment of Inhibitions together, so you know, big bites, not enough chewing. This chapter belongs to Ezra. See you on the other side.**

Chapter 23

I've been waiting so long  
To be where I'm going  
In the sunshine of your love

I'm with you my love,  
The light's shining through on you  
Yes, I'm with you my love,  
It's the morning and just we two  
I'll stay with you darling now,  
I'll stay with you till my seas are dried up

Cream – Sunshine of Your Love

"Hey, Sweetie-snookums-wuv-wuv, wakey wakey."

I didn't want to "wakey wakey." I dragged my head upwards off my jacket that I had been using as a make-shift pillow. I twisted my head around to get my neck to pop. Damn, was there a single part of my body that wasn't stiff and/or sore? I looked up into Hardy's smirking face. There was no way that he was enjoying this. Wait… this was Hardy, of course he was enjoying it. Hardy was the one who suggested I try to actually sleep. He had this crazy logic that I wouldn't make the right kind of impression on the judge if I slept-walked into court. Being awake would also prevent me from laughing at random moments, so bonus.

"Is it time to go to the courthouse?" I stretched while saying this, making my voice sound strained and breathy. I stood up in anticipation of Hardy's answer, straightening my shirt and attempting to tame my hair. Hardy just stood in front of me with his hands in his pockets rocking back on his heels. I narrowed my eyes and slightly shook my head at him to let him know that I was waiting for some sort of response. Hardy shrugged, what the hell was wrong with him?

"If you want to go to the courthouse, go ahead. I'd rather go get something to eat. You wanna come?" Hardy delivered this strange response like it was any Sunday and we were hanging out.

"I can leave?" I knew that was a possible outcome, but Hardy warned me that if Pennsylvania put a warrant out for me, West Virginia would gladly keep me until they came to pick me up. Were the Montgomerys waiting until they got home? Was the Rosewood police department functioning like it normally did, meaning barely at all? What was going on?

"You are free to go, good sir. Your girl must have come through for you. Come on, let's go get your stuff." Hardy put his arm around my shoulders. I quickly reached back and grabbed my jacket. I never wanted to see this room, or any like it, ever again. Hardy led me out to the main lobby/waiting room/front desk area. This place was really tiny. I signed a form that the desk clerk handed me, and he swapped it for a small basket of my "personal effects." I quickly returned my keys, wallet, phone and hotel key to my pockets. I wished I'd had my sunglasses on me. That would have made zero sense at the time, but now it was almost noon, and I'd been shut up in a dark room all day. The light outside seemed brighter than "day" usually was.

Sure enough, I was blinded as I exited the building. I turned back toward Hardy while continuing to put distance between myself and the authorities. "I will gladly treat you to lunch at the diner across from the hotel, but could you take me to get my car, first? I'm not comfortable leaving it in the woods all day." Hardy, of course, did have his sunglasses and was looking in my general direction, but not really at me.

"Eh, I'm not sure that you want _me_ to take you to your car." Hardy smirked and nodded his head, indicating there was something over my shoulder. I turned around. My eyes were still adjusting to the light, but I was starting to be able to see. I could make out 2 people standing next to a car across the street. They were too short to be men. I squinted, trying to make out any details. What? How could…? I doubted my dazzled eyes, but one of the women took off running toward me and quickly resolved into Aria. And was that Ella? None of this was making sense to my exhausted mind. But I reached out my arms and swept Aria up as she reached me. I spun her around and gazed lovingly into her gorgeous face. She wore an absolutely joyous expression and had never seemed lovelier to me. I set her down, but refused to let her go, afraid that she might evaporate. She giggled and turned so we were facing the same way and she was tucked into my side with her arms wrapped tightly around my waist. I could not believe she was here.

Aria reached out to Hardy, seemingly to shake his hand. "Hey, Hardy. Thank you so much for coming all the way out here." Hardy took a couple steps backward and held his hands out in front of himself in a halting motion.

"That's all right, Sugar Ray. You can thank me from over there," Hardy said with obvious laughter in his voice. Aria scrunched up her face and looked to me for an explanation. I chuckled and wrinkled my nose. Both the swelling and pain had gone down significantly. Aria squeezed her eyes shut and blushed a beautiful shade of pink. But I knew my baby wouldn't allow herself to be bested by Hardy. In a flash, her expression became confident and playfully intimidating. She narrowed her eyes and stared Hardy down.

"Well, let that be a lesson to you, wise-guy. You don't mess with Aria Montgomery." Hardy busted up laughing and came over to us. He leaned across me and kissed Aria affectionately on the cheek.

"Oh trust me, Darlin', I figured that out a looong time ago." Hardy's smile became far too admiring for my comfort. I smacked my hand against his shoulder, maybe a little harder than I intended, but Hardy took the hint. "So, Aria. Would you mind introducing me to that fetching creature you brought with you?" Aria's airy laugh was like a shot of endorphins and adrenaline, combined. All of my tension melted away, but my body buzzed with sudden energy. What that girl does to me.

"Come on, I'll introduce you right now." Aria slipped out from under my arm but made sure never to lose contact as she took my hand in hers. I was more than apprehensive about seeing Aria's mother, again. I still couldn't fathom why she was here, why she didn't seem upset that I was here. As we crossed the street I couldn't help imagining Byron jumping out from behind the car with a Louisville Slugger. But, trusting that the love of my life wouldn't lead me into a death trap, I followed Aria with only slight reluctance. Hardy noticed my uncertainty and thumped me on the back, encouragingly.

"Don't sweat it, Dude. If she looks like she's going for a weapon, I'm confident we can take her," Hardy said too quietly for Aria to hear. I laughed in spite of myself. Aria looked back and gave me a dazzling smile. She certainly wasn't scared. What the hell had happened?

We reached Ella and Aria did a little jump like she was landing on home plate. She pulled me up beside her and joined her other hand to the one holding mine. She laced her fingers with mine and squeezed, reassuringly. Ella stood there with her arms crossed over her chest, looking very tense. Her expression was guarded, unreadable. I gave a small cough and addressed myself to Ella, not quite able to look her in the eyes. "Hello, Mrs. Montgomery. It's good to see you again." I didn't like how much I sounded like an errant child, afraid of being reprimanded. _That's exactly what you feel like, though._ I couldn't argue with that. Ella snorted, and my eyes jerked up and locked on to hers. Her warm brown eyes searched mine. They weren't angry or even disapproving. They were looking deep into my eyes in an appraising way. I very much wanted to look away, but I was afraid to fail any "tests" she might have for me. Ella shook her head, breaking eye contact and sighed.

"I think this is awkward enough without adding stiff formality. Don't you, Ezra?" Ella smirked, and her body relaxed, somewhat. Aria squeezed my hand again, comforting me, but I still felt like any step I took could put me square on top of a landmine. I nodded and inhaled sharply.

"Absolutely, Ella." I tried to smile, but I'm pretty sure it came off as more of a grimace. I wondered if being yelled at by Ella could be any more uncomfortable than this moment. Hardy took it upon himself to break up the tension. He moved smoothly around Aria and me and reached his hand out to Ella. When she placed her hand in his he bowed slightly and pulled it to his lips, placing a gentle kiss.

"Enchanté," Hardy murmured hovering a moment over Ella's hand. Ella grinned, and her shoulders shook with silent laughter. She looked at Aria, questioningly.

"Mom, this is Hardy Adams. He's an attorney and also Ezra's best friend. Hardy, this is my mother, Ella Montgomery." I looked at Aria in wonder. She seemed completely at ease, smiling like the cat that swallowed the canary. I could feel her good mood radiating off her, I did my best to soak it up like the sunshine. Hardy stood up straight but did not release Ella's hand. Instead he placed his other hand on top and pulled Ella closer, just slightly.

"I know that this is terribly cliché, but honestly, I can see where Aria got her immense beauty." Aria and Ella giggled simultaneously and looking back and forth between them I saw them both blush. Damn! He really was good. It was Hardy, so I didn't know if he was buttering Ella up to make the meeting more pleasant, or if he was genuinely hitting on her. I was once again thankful that Byron wasn't there. Hardy wouldn't enjoy walking with a limp. "Well ladies, this is delightful, but Ezra has asked me to take him to retrieve his car. Would you care to join us for lunch, afterward?" Reflexively, I gripped Aria's hand harder. I thought I should take notes from Hardy on handling awkward situations, but I didn't want to separate from Aria for even a minute. I knew she felt the same way.

"Mom? Would it be okay if we took Ezra to his car? I am partially responsible for it being stuck out there." I cringed inwardly, I doubted that Ella wanted to be reminded _why_ my car was out in the woods. I looked at Ella apprehensively and held my breath, just a little. She looked back and forth between Aria and me and then down at our intermeshed hands.

"Well, Honey, I'd really like to get back to the hotel and check on your dad." _Please don't freak out, Aria._ I silently pleaded. "But, if Hardy wouldn't mind," Ella continued, looking over at him. "You could go with them to get Ezra's car. Just call me when you get to the hotel and I'll do my best to join you for lunch." My mouth dropped open in absolute shock. You could have knocked me over with a feather. Was I in the Twilight Zone? I looked at Hardy and his shocked expression mirrored my own.

Aria didn't seem surprised at all, though. She dropped my hand and took her mother into a tight hug. "Thank-you, Mom. This shouldn't take long." Ella pulled back and looked lovingly into her daughter's face. Mother and daughter smiled radiantly at each other. The sight was so beautiful, I knew I'd always remember it. Ella nodded and let Aria go. She turned and opened her car door.

Before getting in she looked over at Hardy, "Hardy, it was a pleasure to meet you. Drive safe or you'll have me to answer to." Hardy held his hand over his heart and bowed his head in assent. Ella laughed and gave a sweeping wave to the three of us. "See you all, soon." With that she got in her car and drove away without any hesitation.

Hardy and Aria shared a knowing smirk, and Aria nodded. "Yep. I got _that_ from her, too." Hardy chuckled and jogged off to get the car. Aria immediately grabbed my face and crashed her lips into mine. We kissed like we'd been apart for a lot longer than 12 hours. It was full of need and passion. Aria's hands slid up into my hair, her fingers separating and tangling its curls. I snaked my arms around her waist and pulled her body firmly against mine. I was vaguely aware that we would need to breathe at some point, but my need for Aria felt more urgent, more real. Aria caught my lower lip between her teeth. I groaned as she tugged gently, slowly separating our mouths. Just before she let my lip go she swiped her tongue across it, causing shivers to shoot down my spine. We stared at each other, slowly regaining our breath.

Aria caressed my cheek and I leaned into her touch. She smiled and said, "I've been dying to do that since the moment you walked through those doors. But I don't want my mom to feel like we're shoving our relationship in her face, all at once. She did really well with the hugging and hand-holding, though." Aria was so happy she was gently bouncing on her toes. I needed her to explain this gigantic shift of reality, but Hardy drove up alongside us at that exact moment. He needlessly and obnoxiously leaned on the horn.

"All right, all right. Enough kissy kissy. We need to get a move on. If I have to wait much longer for lunch, I'm gonna get hangry. You don't want to see that, it can get scary." I put Aria in front of me, so I could whisper in her ear as we walked around the car to get in.

"If a grown man whining like a 3-year-old scares you, then sure." Aria bit her lip, stifling her laughter. I opened the back door for Aria and moved to open the front passenger door, but Aria caught my hand and pulled on me, letting me know she wanted me in the back with her. It took all of three seconds looking into her eyes to convince me. I followed her eagerly into the backseat and got comfortable. I saw Hardy in the rearview mirror, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, that's fine, yeah. I'm already the lawyer, I'm perfectly happy to be the chauffeur as well." Sarcasm practically dripped off the words. I scoffed and punched his shoulder.

Aria, however, smiled brightly and said, without a hint of irony, "Thank you so much, Jeeves. Such wonderful service." She didn't let Hardy get away with anything. She needed to watch it, or Hardy was going to fall completely in love with her. How could anyone _not_ love her? I enjoyed watching Aria verbally spar, people that underestimated her sharp wit did so at their peril. But at that moment, I wanted all of her attention for myself. I wrapped my arm around her back and pulled her in, erasing the few inches that had separated us, before. I wanted to keep pulling and end up with her in my lap, but I needed to direct Hardy how to reach my car. Hardy would never be able to get my attention if I got that lost in Aria. I knew just having this much contact would make it difficult. But I wasn't going to miss the chance to hold her close. She happily cuddled against my chest and brought her legs up onto the now unused seat next to us. We spent so much time in this exact position on my couch that even in a car it felt completely natural. I breathed in the scent of her hair and pressed a soft kiss on the top of her head. She sighed in contentment.

"Aria?" I murmured, hoping that she would shed some light on the situation for me. She was playing with the fingers on my hand that was still draped around her shoulders.

"Hmm?"

"Why did your mom suggest you come with me? Why did she bring you to police station? And when she said she wanted to check on your dad, was that because you managed to tie him up at the hotel? Or sedate him in some way?" Aria giggled, and Hardy gave an approving laugh. Aria took a deep breath and seemed to be debating something in her mind.

"Well, I'd rather get into it when it's just the two of us. No offense, Hardy." Aria looked at the back of our driver's head.

"None taken, Doll."

"But I will say this. I was smart enough to fall in love with an incredibly talented writer, who also happens to be quite photogenic."

O.k., yeah, that cleared everything right up for me.

 **Ezra's FREE! Everybody celebrate! There are only a few more chapters to go, I hope you like them. The next chapter is from Aria's perspective and there will be a glimpse of Aria and Ella's reunion at the hospital. (tear) Ok, I'm serious, people need to start reviewing, just a thumbs up, or a frowny face, whatever. If you don't, Tippi will show up at your house, refuse to leave, and whistle that damn phone number until you tear your own hair out in frustration. Blessings to all.**


	7. A Smidge of Bonnie and Clyde

**A/N: Hello, I have words for you. There are only 2 more chapters after this one. Catch ya on the flip-side.**

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Chapter 24

You show me how to see  
That nothing is whole and  
Nothing is broken...  
In you and I, there's a new land  
Angels in flight  
My Sanctuary, my Sanctuary, yeah  
Where fears and lies melt away...

Utada Hikaru - Sanctuary

"OWW! Amy, please be a little more careful!" Rose rubbed the spot on her head that had just been jabbed by a bobby pin.

"I'm sorry, Rose, but I'm trying to make sure the cap is secure and will stay straight." Amy pursed her lips in concentration as she twisted Rose's hair and pushed a pin in and up to catch the fabric of Rose's mortarboard. Rose grimaced and squeezed her eyes shut.

"I think I'd prefer a cap that was crooked to one stained with blood from multiple scalp punctures." Amy rolled her eyes and shot Rose a long-suffering look in the mirror. I shook my head and chuckled softly. I couldn't believe this was the last time I would be getting ready for an event alongside these wonderful girls. They were, hands down, the best part of me being shipped off to boarding school. I couldn't imagine my life without them any more than I could imagine it without Spencer, Hanna, and Emily. I quickly secured my own cap into the pile of curls that were already pinned in place. I really didn't need any assistance, and I was happy to avoid Amy's "help." It really did look painful, effective, but painful.

"O.k., shake your head." Rose shook her head from side to side. Amy smiled in satisfaction; Rose's cap stayed perfectly still. Rose turned around and gave Amy a warm hug. "You're welcome, Fussy Britches," Amy said, playfully, while laughing. Soon all three of us were cracking-up. I considered pointing out that securing the cap that well would make it difficult or painful to remove when it was time to throw them in the air. _Not helpful, Aria, not helpful._ Rose would figure it out, hopefully without blood stains. I gave myself and my roommates a once-over. We looked ready.

"Girls, let's get a group photo before we join the sea of people outside." I set my phone on the edge of Amy's desk and framed up Amy and Rose for the picture. They posed, leaving me a spot. I set the timer and rushed over to complete our triad. "Everyone say, free at last!"

Echoing me with enthusiasm, we all shouted, "FREE AT LAST!" The phone flashed, and we pulled each other into a tight embrace. Our laughter was quickly devolving into whimpers and sniffling. I had to put a stop to it, before we ended up with red eyes and ruined make-up. I pushed back so the girls were at arm's length.

"So, after the ceremony, we will go find our families and get everyone to gather at the big fountain. We'll do pictures, hugs, then we can bawl our eyes out, deal?" Rallying the troops was something I definitely had practice in. Amy and Rose nodded. I led us in a group deep breath and we all gathered the few things we'd needed to get ready. The other girls left our room. I paused at the door and looked back one last time. The room looked so strange, empty, cold. I'd never seen the room like this before. I simply added myself to the home Amy and Rose had made. Now that home was gone, dismantled and stuffed in boxes and bags. Even those were gone, and the room was a blank slate, waiting for the next group of girls that would make it what they needed it to be. I wished them the best. I wouldn't have made it through my first months here if not for this safe haven, this place where I could cry and scream into my pillow and try to resettle all the upheaval. And this was where Amy and Rose held me and comforted me and made me remember how to laugh. And now I was moving on, and I was actually going to miss this place. I sighed, turned, and hurried to catch up with my now former roommates.

We joined the stream of blue gowns and caps making its way to the auditorium. I noticed some of the girls whisper to each other and glance my way, furtive looks that quickly disappeared when I turned my head. It could have been my Rosewood nightmare all over again. Except, the looks were full of admiration rather than judgment. The curiosity was there, but it was the kind of curiosity that celebrities get when their fans wish they could know more, always more. I overheard a few girls speculating whether or not Ezra would be here, if I would run to him and jump into his arms. I pretended I didn't notice any of it, but I smiled the way Amy and Rose told me made me look wise and mysterious. I'd never experienced attention like this that was actually fun.

All the credit for this bizarre fawning went completely to my amazing friends. I called them the morning after prom while I was still at the hospital. I had just finished giving my statement to the police and was trying to find my footing with my brand-new parents.

Byron wasn't angry, he wasn't scary, I wasn't entirely sure he wasn't drugged. He seemed so tired, so subdued, his eyes didn't have that glint that vacillated between suspicious and crazed that they always had when he was with me. He entered the room small and hesitant and once I'd changed into the outfit they'd brought me, he hugged me. He gave me a hug that had once been commonplace, a hug that said he just wanted to have me close. He wasn't tense, or robotic, I didn't feel like I was being checked for weapons. He looked like someone getting off work after working a double-shift every day for a month. And he was clutching my journal, Ezra's poetry, like it held the secrets of the universe. I'd wanted my mom to read some of it, but if my dad wanted it, I wasn't going to complain. Ella was light. She walked like someone who's just shed their heaviest winter coat after hours outside. And she was light. There was an almost glow about her smile, and I found it contagious. When we held each other and looked at one another the room brightened, it even made Byron smile.

That was my new reality when I called Rose. She put the phone on speaker, so Amy could be a part of the conversation. We all started talking, and apologizing, at the same time. I apologized for scaring them and being rude to Bruce and making such a mess. Rose apologized for not realizing that Bruce's crush on me might not be completely gone and for being hard on me. Amy apologized for alerting Mrs. Curran that I was gone and not giving me the chance to "reappear" on my own. We laughed and just breathed for a minute. Then I filled the girls in on what _had_ happened and confessed that I was scared to come back to school. They promised they would make the school a fabulous place for me. And boy, did they.

By the time I returned to school in the late afternoon on that seemingly endless day, the dorms were abuzz. Rose and Amy told a story of love, passion, and heartbreak. They told of painful separation, desperate longing, and an epic romance that could not be stopped by the harsh conventions of society. Frighteningly, most of what they told was true. But they sanitized it, saying that Ezra and I met when he began teaching at Augusta. Our connection sparked and grew into real feelings, that neither of us would act on. The situation became too painful and Ezra fled from his passion and the young woman that had turned his life upside-down. See? Scarily close. But he found that being separated was torture and began writing to me. That developed into texts, phone calls and, eventually, clandestine meetings. And prom was when he decided to sweep me away and profess his love for me for the first time. But cruel fate intervened, and everything went wrong. It was a gripping story, free of all the messy bits and admittedly horrible decision-making. The girls convinced the student body that Ezra and I were a mix of Romeo and Juliet, Guinevere and Lancelot, and a smidge of Bonnie and Clyde.

The faculty did not share that opinion, of course. But the story held Ezra blameless of anything other than falling in love. The way the girls crafted it, we didn't even have our first kiss till after my eighteenth birthday. Ezra would not be invited back for Homecoming, but he wouldn't be a blight on the school's reputation, either. My reputation was blight city as far as they were concerned. Mrs. Curran did an excellent job keeping the details limited to the few faculty that were there, but they knew that Ezra and I weren't just "talking" when we were found. I was barred from all graduation activities, including an overnight trip to Cedar Point Amusement Park, but not the actual ceremony, and I couldn't try for one of the speakers' spots. _Aw, phooey!_ My "punishment" was nothing, but I tried to act very contrite and disappointed that I missed the roller coasters.

We arrived at the auditorium and various teachers and staff members were helping us to line-up properly. I questioned the necessity of having 6 adults help 60 high school graduates get themselves in alphabetical order. Surprisingly, they trusted we only needed 2 teachers to lead us to our seats. All the girls scanned the audience as we entered, trying to locate family and friends. I didn't immediately spot anyone, but I got help. "Woo! Aria!" Hanna's voice sailed across the room and I laughed. I followed the voice back and there they were; my mom, my dad, Mike, and all three of my girls. I was so thrilled they were able to come, and since Rosewood High had their graduation the following week, I would get to watch Hanna, Emily and Spencer graduate. It was nothing like what we'd always envisioned, but we were always there for each other, whatever it took. I waved to the group and smiled. Spencer pulled out her phone and waved it in front of her. Ezra and I both knew that he couldn't come to my graduation. I blamed it on our "celebrity couple" status, he blamed it on still being terrified of my dad. But, thanks to Spencer and video calling, Ezra would see me graduate. He'd see it from New York, but it still meant the world to me. He also promised to throw a graduation party for me with all of our New York friends and my besties. My summer was set to be jam-packed and I couldn't wait.

The ceremony went smoothly and quickly, for the most part. Madison droned on for a little too long, but that was Madison. It was going to be interesting being at NYU together, especially since she now couldn't decide if I was her arch nemesis or her guru. When I crossed the stage to receive my diploma, Mrs. Curran seemed to have a hard time keeping the genial smile on her face. I don't think she would have rooted for Romeo and Juliet, and as far as she was concerned, Ezra and I were Bonnie and Clyde, reborn. I never liked her, anyway. I took my diploma, thanked her for all her loving guidance, and walked to the front of the stage where I smiled and blew a kiss to my cheering section. 59 heads swung around hoping they would see their gorgeous and now scandalous former teacher. I could imagine Ezra cracking up or turning bright red; maybe both. I returned to my seat and silently laughed. For the first time in my life I understood what drove Alison to do shocking and outrageous things. It's oddly thrilling to know that people are aghast about something you've done, but knowing they secretly wished they were confident enough to do something that crazy. I felt closer to Alison in that moment than I had since the last night I saw her. I knew she would be proud.

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 **Yay! Aria is finally out of high school! Except she's still in high school in basically all of my other stories. I love fictional high school girls. I get older, they stay the same age. (name the movie reference) Please to be making reviews. I will send Ian to visit your dreams, Thomas if you don't review, Harding if you do. Blessings to all**


	8. Wonderful Tonight

**A/N: Next chapter is the last chapter, which makes this one the next to last chapter. That blows your mind, doesn't it? In this chapter I got to feature my third favorite character to write, Hanna! So, yay! If you are enjoying my first adopted story, check out my new one, Into the Moonlight. It's very different from Little Sparks, but Ezria love is beautiful in so many forms.**

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Chapter 25

I feel wonderful because I see  
The love light in your eyes  
And the wonder of it all  
Is that you just don't realize how much I love you

Wonderful Tonight – Eric Clapton

"So, where did the girls sneak off to?" Ella asked me as we drove away from Augusta's School For Girls for the final time. Byron was driving, and Mike sat beside him. Ella wanted to be in the back with me, which I happily agreed to. I didn't realize how much I'd lost when I shut myself off from my parents. I knew I'd never trust them the way I once had, but I hoped that with enough time, we'd build strong, loving relationships again.

"They said they wanted to get the hotel room ready for our sleepover. I don't know what they're planning, but they were suspiciously giggly, so." I loved being able to talk with my mom without feeling like a knife was twisting in my gut. Everything was real again, and it meant so much. I watched as we drove by the street we needed to take to get to the hotel. "Dad, that was our turn." My dad shrugged, things between us were a thousand percent improved, but we still weren't chatty. My mom patted my hand.

"It's ok, Honey. We wanted to get a special graduation cake for you and Spencer told us that this local bakery was your favorite."

"Ophelia's? Yeah, she's amazing. She makes the best pie I've ever had." I smiled a bit sadly. Not only would I miss the bakery and the fantastic lady who owned it, but it made me think about how Ezra wasn't here to share my cake with me. Ezra loved cake. I wondered what he was doing.

"Hey, Sweetie? Where'd you go?" Ella asked.

"Oh, sorry. Ophelia's is Ezra's favorite too and I just miss him." I saw my dad's shoulders tense up. He still didn't like Ezra being a topic of casual conversation, but it was getting better, little by little. I thought I could probably convince him to walk me down the aisle, so long as Ezra and I waited till I was 30 to get married. My mom squeezed my hand and gave me a sympathetic smile. It was a dream come true. Like actually, I'd had dreams similar to this situation. I'd accepted it would never happen, but now here we are.

"Do you want to come in, or wait here?" Ella asked me as Byron pulled into a spot in the familiar parking lot.

"Oh, I _have_ to go in. I have so much to thank Ophelia for, and I need to tell her goodbye." I felt myself tearing up, Amy and Rose were not the only people I would miss.

My mom and I got out of the car while Mike and my dad waited. I would have loved for Byron to meet Ophelia, but since I'd linked Ezra to the bakery, he probably felt more comfortable in the car. Ella and I entered the small café arm in arm. It gave me the warm homey feeling I always got coming in here. I looked at the spot where Ezra and I always sat, reading to each other, or writing, always with some scrumptious food on the table in front of us. Now that everything in this chapter of my life was ending, I was appreciating the good things I'd experienced more and more. And that included meeting Ophelia. She came out of the back of the bakery and her friendly smile changed to the smile I thought of as "grandmotherly." She walked up to us and opened her arms. I gladly hugged her. I'd taken to coming here when I had time and I was especially missing Ezra. We'd become good friends.

"Oh, my little Aria. You look beautiful, Sweetheart. I assume you're here for your graduation cake?" Ophelia released me but held on to one of my hands. I nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes. And I'm so glad I got to come in and hug you and tell you good-bye." My voice cracked at the end.

"Oh, tush. I'll be here anytime you feel like having really good pie. And, if I get an invitation, I could be persuaded to deliver to my favorite customers." She touched my nose in a playful way. I giggled, softly.

"Oh, Ophelia, you're wonderful. Oh, where are my manners? Ophelia, this is my mother, Ella Montgomery."

My mother extended her hand saying, "Yes, we spoke over the phone. It's so nice to meet you in person." Ophelia looked at her hand as if she wasn't sure what it was and reached out and pulled Ella into a big hug.

"We give hugs here, Honey. You are just as lovely as Aria."

"Thank-you! And thank-you for being here for Aria. She was far from home, in more than just distance. I'm so grateful she had people like you to make her feel safe." A single tear slid down my mom's cheek. I hoped she would forgive herself soon. I hated that she was angry at herself.

"Well, Aria is impossible not to love. You did an excellent job raising her, Ella," Ophelia gave her a reassuring smile. That woman was everyone's grandma, offering unconditional love and encouragement. And she baked, just sayin. "Oh, my goodness, would you look at us sad sacks? The people waiting for cake will be getting anxious. Aria, the cake's in the back, but since I have you here, can I show you a little project I've been working on out behind the shop?"

"Of course." Ophelia took my hand and led me through the kitchen to the back door. Ophelia was always adding new touches to the bakery and she often asked my opinion, but I couldn't imagine what she had done out back. Behind the bakery was just an empty lot that had slowly been reclaimed by the countryside. It most resembled a little meadow. I didn't have long to wonder, though.

As we walked through the door I was greeted by a thousand fairy lights. Strung across poles set around the field, the lights glowed down on a few wooden picnic tables that were decked out with food, beverages, and typical graduation party decorations. My eyes went wide with surprise and I laughed with unexpected delight. Emily, Spencer, and Hanna were standing between the tables, clearly waiting for my big entrance. My dad and Mike stood more to the side, but they were smiling brightly at me. Ophelia took my shoulders and gently pushed me forward. I had stopped on the top step and was just staring. Ophelia led me into my party, Ella trailing behind. Everyone began clapping once I was within the ring of lights. My hands flew to cover my mouth, as my laughter tried to become crying. This was incredible. I felt so loved, so blessed.

The girls rushed forward and pulled me into a hug, all of us crying to one degree or another. Ella joined my family and Byron wrapped his arms around her waist as they both watched us girls regain our composure. "Guys! This is amazing! Thank-you! Thank all of you! You don't know how much this means to me." I sniffed and wiped my tears off my cheeks, very grateful that I'd gone with waterproof make-up. Tears were kind of inevitable today.

"Well, I think it would mean more if your cake were out here. I told them to bring it out once you got to the shop, haaah," Ophelia sighed. She raised her voice and called back into the bakery. "Hon! Aria's waiting! Bring out the cake, please." I turned to see my cake. Ophelia was very talented with decorating and I knew she would have worked hard on it. A man stepped through the door holding a three-tiered chocolate cake in front of his face. He was dressed in a suit and a familiar looking tie.

 _Please be who I think you are, please be who I think,_ my thought was interrupted as he put the cake on the table furthest away, then straightened and turned toward me. "EZRA!" I squealed, ran and jumped on him. He caught me, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me tight against him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him fiercely. I prodded his lower lip with my tongue, seeking access, but his mouth remained closed. What the…oh, right. We had an audience, that included Ophelia, and my parents. I smiled against his lips to show him I understood, and we slowly separated, but only enough that we could nuzzle our noses together. Ezra was here, he was here.

"Hi," Ezra murmured, before setting me on the ground. I released his neck, not wanting to force him to hunch.

"Hi," I said with just a pinch of annoyance. "I thought you were stuck in New York, prepping finals."

"For you? I finished 2 weeks ahead of the deadline. I wanted to surprise you, again. But this time I made sure you were the only one who didn't know I was coming." He gave me his boyish smile and, even if I wasn't only pretending to be mad, I would still melt.

"All of you knew he was here?" I looked around and everyone turned and said variations of yes, except Mike who responded by rolling his eyes and saying, Duh! My dad had turned himself away from me, but he was talking pleasantly with Ophelia and my mom. He was trying, I would be patient with him. I turned back to Ezra and gave him a smirk. "Of course, you know the problem we now have."

Ezra squinted and looked confused. "What?" He hated questions he didn't know the answer to almost as much as Spencer.

"I'll never believe you again when you say you can't come to a big event." I scrunched my nose at him playfully. He took both of my hands and brought them to his lips. After placing gentle kisses on my fingers, he locked eyes with me. His eyes were open, honest, and serious.

"Aria, my love, I will never miss another big event in your life. From now on I plan to be front and center for everything." He lowered his face to my level and tilted my chin up and kissed me. Butterflies fluttered in my chest. I loved this man so much. I smiled at him.

"Ditto," I said, simply. Ezra stood straight and looked at me shaking his head, slightly.

"Miss Montgomery, did you just say 'ditto'?" I grinned and nodded my head. "Well, for a recent high school graduate your vocabulary is a tad lackluster."

I sighed and pouted. "I know, but it's not my fault. My English teacher for the last six months was yucky."

"Oh, I see. It is incredibly important for young minds to receive an uninterrupted flow of knowledge. We must formulate a plan to rehabilitate your terminology before you begin at NYU. I'm afraid they will consider words like ditto and yucky to be subpar."

"Maybe he put my English stuff under a bad spell. True love's kiss might make it all better." Ezra smiled at my suggestion. I stood on my tip-toes and looked up at him. He took my face in both hands and kissed me. His kiss was slow, it was sensual, and this time he was the one who introduced tongue. I guess he figured no one was actively watching us anymore. After a minute of kissing I wasn't sure of my own name, let alone intelligent speech. Ezra backed up a step and I lowered back onto my heels.

"Well, Miss Montgomery? Was the smooch successful?" Ezra gave me an earnest look of concern, as if waiting for a medical diagnosis. I couldn't help but laugh.

"It was undeniably stupendous," I giggled. Ezra and I leaned back in to resume kissing but were stopped by a loud voice.

"OMG, enough already!" Hanna sounded exasperated as she huffed after her admonition. Ezra and I turned our heads to see Hanna sitting at the picnic table right next to us. She looked annoyed and amused at the same time. "Ok, I just watched that entire exchange and I have a few things to say. Number 1: you guys really are insanely adorable. At first, I couldn't imagine you being with a teacher, Aria. Now I can't imagine you with anyone else." Ezra and I looked at each other and smiled. "No, no! Eyes back here kiddos." Apparently, there was more. The first thing was a compliment, I didn't think the second thing would be.

"Number 2: you are not alone on a date. You are not alone in your apartment. You are surrounded by people that came a very long way to be here _with_ you. So, please be here with _us_ , not just Fitzy." Ouch, that stung. Hanna was absolutely right. I was just so happy that Ezra was here when I didn't think he would be. In a few weeks I would be in New York with just him. I needed to pay attention to my family and friends. I looked down, ashamed, and nodded. "Plus," Hanna continued. "Your dad has gone through 50 shades of red at this point, so…"

Ezra immediately stepped away from me, putting a little distance between our bodies. I looked up at him and pouted. He grabbed my hand and intertwined our fingers. I was thrilled about how brave he was being with my dad. And it hadn't even gotten him killed, yet. I turned back to Hanna. "Was that it?"

"No. Number 3: you guys are the biggest _nerds_! Seriously, what was that? You guys flirt using SAT words? What's foreplay, a book report?"

"Hanna! Thank-you for the advice, I will take it. And in return, you will stop talking about my relationship. Deal?" I stuck out my hand and Hanna looked at it like I was offering her 3-day old fish. She puckered her lips and ran her tongue over her teeth. Giving up her right to tease was a hardship.

"Deal," Hanna grabbed my hand and firmly shook it once. Then she pulled me closer to her and whispered in my ear, "For as long as your folks and Fitzy are around, I'll behave. But when it's just the four of us," she smirked in lieu of finishing her sentence. I swallowed, hoping something might render her mute between now and then.

A few hours later, I sat at a picnic table, sipping peppermint tea. Mike and my folks had been gone for about 10 minutes and Ezra and the girls were helping Ophelia clean up. I was told that as the guest of honor, my help was not required and would not be accepted. It was a very sweet way of telling me to scram. I heard someone coming out the back door and a large basket was placed directly in front of me. Then Ezra straddled the bench and sat down next to me.

"What's this?" I motioned to the basket, that was covered in a picnic style cloth.

"Ophelia wanted to make sure that everyone got a good breakfast before we head out, in the morning. I thought she meant everyone in our group, but when I saw the size of this thing, I realized she meant everyone at our hotel." I laughed at Ezra's joke, but my huge smile was for something else.

"Do you know what you just said?" I played with the tie that Ezra had worn to Noah and Candice's wedding.

"I do, but I don't know which part has you so happy."

"You said 'our group'. I'm so happy that you and I are an us, and that 'our group' finally includes everyone it should." Ezra and I both leaned forward and shared a gentle kiss. Ezra brushed my hair to the side and looked at me with such love, and it was a peaceful love, a certain love. We were finally able to be us, anywhere we went, and didn't have to be afraid of anything.

"Do you know that you are the most amazing, intelligent, and loving person I've ever met and that meeting you has been the greatest blessing of my life?" I asked. Ezra was always saying the most wonderful things to me. I wanted to make him feel that way.

He leaned forward, kissed my nose, and said, "Ditto."

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 **So, I had a review last time that wanted to see the Fitz family meet the Montgomery mafia. That will be included in the last chapter. Thanks to everyone who is sticking with this. Now, review this chapter or else all of your memories of Ezria love scenes will start to fade, and the 15,000 youtube videos dedicated to Ezria love scenes will appear to be blank to you. Blessings to all.**


	9. Our Very Own Christmas

**A/N: Here it is, the final chapter! It's kind of bittersweet for me, honestly. I am writing several other Ezria stories and even working on an original piece, but this story is so close to my heart. One more time, thank you to bite-me-i'm-irish for giving me your blessing to finish it. This was the first time I attempted something like this and I am happy with how it turned out. And thank you to all of the readers who gave me a chance. I hope I gave you a finish that lives up to the rest of this beloved story.**

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Chapter 26

I'll be home for Christmas  
You can plan on me  
Please have snow and mistletoe  
And presents on the tree  
Christmas Eve will find me  
Where the lovelight gleams  
I'll be home for Christmas  
If only in my dreams –

I'll Be Home For Christmas

"What do you think, are they straight?" I stepped back to inspect my work. The stockings hung straight and level with each other. "You know, you are being no help whatsoever." I turned to look at the couch. The only response I got was a plaintive, _meow_ , as our kitten stood and stretched, kneading her front paws into the couch cushion. I smiled fondly at the small bundle of dark gray fur. I walked over and scooped her up into my arms. I stared into her pale blue green eyes and nuzzled her adorable little nose. "Aww, little Scout. Decorating just isn't your thing, is it? That's ok, you can just keep doing the adorable snuggly thing." Scout purred in my ear and I giggled. The vibration tickled.

I set her back on the couch and reached into my shopping bag, pulling out the red and gold pillar candles next. I placed the 4 of them in a cluster on the left corner of the mantle. I had a mantle, it was probably strange how happy that made me. After I told Ezra that sitting in front of the fireplace reading throughout winter was one of my favorite memories of growing up, he insisted that our apartment have a fireplace. I thought he was kidding, as I assumed that a major structural change to the building probably wasn't covered in our lease. Then I came home from class one day and it was there. Ezra got us a ventless, craftsman-style biofuel fireplace. It used gel canisters and produced real fire without the smoke or ashes. How did I get so lucky as to find him? He and Noah were already making plans to build a surround that would make the fireplace appear to have a chimney stack and put bookcases on either side. It was going to be just like my parents' house. Noah said it was all part of Ezra's devious plan to shovel even more books into our apartment. I didn't have a problem with that.

I was slowly transforming our living / dining room into the picture of Christmas cheer. I was so excited as this would be Ezra's and my first Christmas together. Last year we hadn't gotten back together until New Year's Eve. I planned to spend winter break baking, tree trimming, wrapping presents, and singing Christmas carols. For the first time I was not an accessory for my parents' Christmas, I was building my own. And I was building it with the love of my life. This year I would be a guest of my parents' Christmas. Ezra and I planned to drive to Rosewood the day after Christmas and stay visiting with family and the girls until New Year's Eve Day. Then we would head back for New Year's Eve. Ezra was planning an "exceptionally special" evening to celebrate our new pseudo-anniversary. How could I say no to that?

Spencer was letting us stay in her barn loft and would spend the week in her main house bedroom. I had the most amazing friends. Ezra and I had planned the week with the girls way back in September, but we had just added Byron and Ella's house to the agenda a week ago. My parents, well Ella, had invited us when I told her our Rosewood plans. Ezra and I talked about it, then we thought about it, then we slept on it, then we came to no decision whatsoever. Thankfully, Diana had a wonderfully crazy idea. She invited Mike and my parents to New York for Thanksgiving. It was an opportunity for the families to meet, properly. I still didn't understand why but finding out that Diana had lied to them at the benefit gala moved my parents _closer_ to accepting Ezra. The whole holiday pressure, alcohol, family togetherness thing would be in effect, but Byron would have to behave around new people. And if things went really badly, Ezra and I had a solid excuse to elope, and the Fitzes would understand.

There had been a few hiccups that day. Candice and Noah stayed at her family's house longer than planned, so we were left waiting for them for over an hour with Diana and Ella cooking and becoming fast friends in the kitchen, and Oscar and Byron making awkward chit-chat and pretending to watch football in the den. Things took a sharp turn, however, when the fathers found out that neither of them would have allowed Ezra's and my relationship to start, had they known. They instantly liked each other once they had common cause. I watched in horror as both men nodded at the "common sense" they had and Ezra and I, apparently lacked. I ran to the kitchen and grabbed Ella, explaining the trouble on the way back to the den. She had diffused the situation by lightly flirting with Oscar. It put Oscar into a good mood and refocused Byron's energies into winning back Ella's attention. It was _brilliant_ , clearly, I still had a lot to learn from my mother.

The other incident happened between dinner and pie. Mike was acting weird and we all quickly realized he was drunk, for real this time. Noah had shown him how to slip "a tiny bit" of whiskey into his cola. Mike disregarded the recommended amount. I thought it was funny, until my mom brought up that it was a repeat of the previous year. Mike then congratulated himself, loudly, for being such a convincing actor at the gala. I grabbed Ezra's hand and indicated to him that we needed to be ready to run, literally. But a Thanksgiving miracle happened that night, Byron burst out laughing. He proceeded to joke that it was nice to see such a bond between siblings and that he now knew a truth serum to get Mike to confess to things, "even things Aria had done."

I smiled, remembering how relieved I'd felt. I smiled even more when I remembered the horrible hangover that Mike had the next day, which Ella had described to me in hilarious detail. After that, there was no reason not to accept Ella's invitation. Ezra had even given up the jokes about being lulled into a false sense of safety. Speaking of Ezra . . . there was something I wanted to ask him. I walked down the short hallway to the study. I knocked as I pushed the door open.

"Hey, Babe? What would you think," I stopped and looked at Ezra. I tilted my head and gave him my best "care to explain?" look. I even put a hand on my hip. Ezra spun around in his desk chair and took in my expression. "I thought you were going to 'bring a touch of Christmas' to the office. It doesn't look like Christmas even waved." I pretended to be annoyed, he pretended to be sheepish, it was a thing we did.

"I got an excellent idea into my head and I had to write it down before I forgot it." Ah, the trials of being a writer. "Besides, I put up the most important decoration." He pointed directly above him and I saw there was, indeed, something there, mistletoe.

"Aw, Baby, you don't have to force me to kiss you using shrubbery-based coercion, I like doing it." I walked over and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. "Besides, what if I abuse the mistletoe's power and distract you from your work, by kissing you repeatedly, all over?" I brought my prediction to fruition by peppering Ezra's face, neck, and collarbone with kisses. He groaned and pulled me down into his lap. He put his lips against my ear and whispered, sending shivers down my spine.

"That's my Christmas wish." He connected our lips and kissed me in earnest. The kisses ramped up in intensity and passion, as they often did. Soon, the chair did not provide enough room or maneuverability. Ezra stood up, holding me bridal style, and carried me into our bedroom. He climbed onto the bed and laid me down, gently, before climbing on top of me. But when he went to resume kissing me, I stopped him.

"But Ezra, there's no mistletoe in here," I said innocently. He smiled and brushed my hair off my forehead.

"Then it's a good thing I don't need shrubbery-based coercion." His eyes twinkled at me and I knew my eyes were shining back at him. He kissed me deeply and playful banter was put firmly aside for the next long while.

It's common wisdom that passion fades from relationships over time. Some people say that change begins the moment you start living together. They say sex becomes routine and expected. I was sure that was a sad truth for some couples. I pondered that as I snuggled into Ezra's side and he straightened out the tangled sheets to cover us. We needed to get up and start on dinner or call for something to be delivered. But I wasn't so hungry that I couldn't put it off for a little longer. Ezra didn't seem to be in a rush to get up, either. The truth that I knew with Ezra was that sex continued to get better and better. Maybe that was because we were still so young, or because we still felt drunk on the freedom to be together all the time, after being held apart for so long. But I mostly felt that it was because when we made love we ceased to be 2 separate beings. We fit together physically and emotionally so completely that we would become something entirely new. We were like hand warmers or glowsticks. Separately we had existed, we were stable and inert. But when we combined we made heat or light. I had trouble believing that any 2 people had ever been better together.

"Hey, Sweetness?" Ezra murmured into my hair while he kissed the top of my head. It pulled me from my thoughts. I looked up at him and smiled.

"Yeah?" He trailed his hand up and down my arm and gazed into my eyes.

"What would I think about what?"

"Huh?" I looked at him confusedly, not understanding the question.

"When you walked into the study earlier, you were starting to ask me 'what would you think'."

"Oh, wow. I'd completely forgotten," I responded, truthfully.

"I'm glad I have that effect on you," Ezra said teasingly.

"It's a dangerous power, Mr. Fitz. We may need to institute a no-sex policy for midterms and finals week." I teased back, wondering what his response would be.

"Or, I could just tickle you until you remember your question." Ezra suited his words immediately and grabbed me, tickling my sides and legs. Ezra's magic fingers could be used for evil, too. I laughed and squealed, squirming to escape. I tried to stay strong, but I was hopelessly overmatched.

"Stop, stop! I remember! I remember!" Ezra's fingers finally stopped their brutal assault and I grabbed him and pulled myself tight to him. If I was close enough, he might not have the right angle for…oh who was I kidding? I got my giggles and breathing under control, then continued. "What would you think about sending out Christmas cards, this year? We could send one with our picture and a short snippet telling everyone what we're up to? I think it would be a nice way to introduce each other to distant family, family friends. And let people who know us but don't know about "us" to have their heart attacks in the privacy of their own homes." I sat up, so I could see his reaction. He looked, thoughtful.

"I don't know, Aria. Are we allowed to do something so 'normal'? It might be pushing it." A wise guy, eh?

"I hear you, good point. Well, we could always take the picture with Christmas bags over our heads."

The End

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 **This is the second multichapter story I have put up on fanfic. It's also the second story where I end with Ezra and Aria cuddling in bed. Maybe I'll make it a thing. Spoiler alert: Ezria gets their happy ending in my stories, if you don't see happy Ezria, it wasn't an Ezria story. If you liked this, check out my new adoption, Into the Moonlight. Review this ending or you will soon find out that somehow Peter Hastings is also** **your** **father. Blessings to all.**


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